Afghanistan women’s football team reunite with hopes of competing in Australia

Early on a suitably idyllic Melbourne morning, 18 Afghan footballers and one referee took to the field at the Darebin International Sports Centre. The group were training under the banner of their nation’s women’s team for the first time since being forced to flee their homeland last August. It was an innocuous session, featuring the warm-ups, drills and team talks replicated at grounds around the world.

But there was a palpable sense of joy on display. Though a few have played games here and there since they were granted asylum, Saturday’s session was the first time the team – which was “built to fight” the Taliban’s ideology – had joined together since they sat on the floor of a crowded plane as it took off from Hamid Karzai airport, fleeing Kabul alongside more than 75 other players, relatives and team officials.

On that day, their existence as female footballers had made them a target; their safety could not be assured as the Taliban seized control of the country and reimposed their strict interpretation of Sharia law. But on Saturday, there were no such threats, no fears of what awaited them when they went home or if they would be forced to suddenly flee the field.

The session represented the beginning of a new chapter – spearheaded by former captain Khalida Popal and current player Fati* – and it is planned they will return to competitive football in their new home of Australia within months. From this foundation, the players hope to mount a case to return to international football by pressuring Fifa and governments around the world to ensure the principles of gender equality are upheld as the Taliban attempts to ban women from playing sport in Afghanistan.

“I was with my teammates, my second family,” Fati said